Percy Jackson: The Son of Death
by ClassicalChaos
Summary: Percy is not a son of Poseidon, but he is no ordinary demigod. I'm not sure where the story will go and I'm bad at summaries. My first story; I hope you like it. AU of Percy's life as a son of Thanatos and a grandson of Poseidon. Eventually Percy/Zoe.
1. Chapter 1: The Queen's Gift

This is my first story, so just a heads up not to get your hopes up too high. Please review and tell me or ask me anything you want, as long as it has at least some relevance to the story and is not completely inappropriate. I know a lot of authors don't like it, but please point out any mistakes I make with my grammar or any other obvious mistakes with my timelines, etc. I'll try to correct them and explain anything that looks like a mistake but isn't.

This is an AU where Percy is a son of Thanatos, not Poseidon, but I still have some tricks and plot twists up my sleeve, so stay tuned for those.

And of course, I'm not Rick Riordan, and I don't own PJO or HOO, so don't expect the same masterpieces he writes, but I'll do my best.

Prologue: The Queen's Gift

In a dark palace, deep in the underworld, a baby boy lay cradled in his mother's arms, sleeping soundly, a spot of life in the land of the dead. He had messy jet black hair and skin that looked like he had just spent nine months in the sun, rather than in his mother's stomach. "You're so beautiful" the woman whispered softly as she smiled at her son. At the sound of her voice, the baby opened his eyes and looked at her curiously, revealing a pair of bright, sea-green eyes.

She looked up at the door as a shadow crossed it, and she smiled lovingly at the man watching her from the doorway. He was tall, muscular, and tan, with thick shoulder-length black hair and honey gold eyes. He looked down at the baby in his wife's arms and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "He has your eyes."

"No, he has my father's eyes," she said with a cheeky grin.

"Same thing," he waved his hand dismissively, but his smile widened anyway. He reached out and picked up his first child. "Thank you Lady Hera," he whispered. "He's perfect." He smiled again at his son and gently handed the baby back to his wife. He waved a hand over the child's eyes and whispered "Sleep Perseus." The infant's eyes closed immediately as he slipped into the realm of Hypnos.

"I have to go Sophia; Lord Hades demands my presence. Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked, slightly concerned.

"Of course. I'll see you later. Now get out of here before I make you." She teased. Thanatos kissed her forehead and stepped out of the door before vanishing in a flash of smoke.


	2. Chapter 2: Family

AN: This is just a filler chapter. Sorry, but it's necessary

Chapter 2: Family

Seven years later

"PERSEUS JACKSON! Get back here this instant!" A woman yelled down a now empty hallway in her uncle's palace. Her son rushed through a pair of tall doors toward a man with black hair and green eyes who stood by the foot of a huge throne of fused bones. The throne was occupied by a tall man with pale skin and shoulder-length black hair, a crown of braided gold on his brow. He looked onto the scene with amusement in his usually harsh eyes, and gave a rare smile at the sight of his great nephew.

"Grandpa" Percy shouted excitedly as he rushed into the arms of his grandfather.

Poseidon smiled and easily lifted the boy onto his shoulders. "Hey there champ. Your mom sounds angry." He said with a grin.

"She's only like that when we're in Uncle Hades' palace. She thinks he's gonna turn us into bats if we're annoying. But I know him better than that." Percy said in a confidential voice.

"Oh really?" Poseidon said, raising an eyebrow.

"He's only gonna turn HER into a bat because she's the only one that's annoying." Percy smirked. He clambered down from Poseidon's shoulders, ran over to Hades, and tugged on his pants. "Uncle Hades, you wouldn't turn me into a bat, right?"

Hades leaned forward and ruffled Percy's already messy black hair. "Perseus, I don't turn _anyone_ into bats. If I wanted to punish you, I'd ask the Furies."

"Pssh whatever. They love me." Percy said indifferently. "Where's Aunt Seph?

"It's summer; Aunt _Persephone_ isn't here." Hades emphasized the correct pronunciation of his wife's name, but Percy just shrugged. At that moment, Percy's mom walked into the room and fixed a death glare on her son. He gripped Hades' leg and cowered behind it.

She tried to keep the frown on her face but she couldn't help but laugh at the look of terror on Percy's face. "Hi dad," she said warmly as she pulled Poseidon into a hug.

"Sophia, I've missed you." He said sincerely, a smile on his face. She pulled out of the hug and took a step towards Hades.

"You're not going to turn me into a bat are you Uncle Hades?" she laughed. Hades chuckled and shook his head before pulling Percy out from behind his leg and gently pushing him toward his mother. She glared at him for a second before she gave him a hug and a kiss on his cheek, which he wiped off with his sleeve. "So is this just a casual visit or do you have another reason to be here?" She asked curiously.

Poseidon smiled. "I'm just here to see my daughter, grandson, and big brother." Sophia nodded, but missed the glance that passed between Poseidon and Hades.

"We were only able to swing by to say hello," she said. "We better get going because Percy has another lesson with Theseus, and he hates being kept waiting." Sophia gave her father another hug before she and Percy left the throne room.

"So Poseidon, what's this really about?" Hades asked carefully.

Poseidon looked at his brother nervously. "Well, by now all the gods know that Zeus had another demigod child; a daughter named Thalia. She was trying to get to camp with two other demigods, but yesterday Zeus turned her into a tree on the borders of Camp Half-Blood when she was about to die." Hades waved his hand in a "go on" gesture. This wasn't news to him; he already knew about Thalia. Poseidon cleared his throat awkwardly. "That's not all. The other gods are furious at Zeus for being the only one to break the oath, but…" his voice trailed off. He looked at the ground for a few seconds before he spit it out. "He's not the only one that did. I had a child as well; my first since Sophia. A son."

Hades groaned from his throne and put his head in his hands. "Really?! Another one?" He sighed. "How old is he?"

"He's seven; just a few months younger than Percy. I know you're probably wondering why I'm telling you this now, instead of letting you find out when I claim him at camp." Hades nodded, genuinely surprised that Poseidon was actually letting him in on such an important secret. "Since both Zeus and I have had demigod children against our oath," he continued, "I think it's only fair that your children be allowed to come out of that accursed casino soon." Hades' eyes widened in shock. He had no idea that Poseidon would suggest something like that. He thought Poseidon was going to ask for Hades to help keep monsters off of his son, something he was planning on doing anyway.

"Why are you suggesting this, brother?" Hades asked suspiciously. "I know we're closer than we used to be, and we have your daughter to thank for that; but I didn't expect to hear this from any of the gods, especially not from you or Zeus. And not to be rude, but I don't want either of my children to be the child of the great prophecy. I don't wish it on your son either, but I put my children in that casino to protect them."

"They wouldn't be safe if they went to camp now anyway, so we should wait until they're older; old enough that Patrick will be the child of the prophecy. I'll support you on this, you have my word." Poseidon said sincerely. Hades nodded his head in thanks and sat back on his throne, deep in thought. "I'll leave you to think about this. Goodbye Hades." Poseiden turned into mist and vanished from the Underworld, leaving Hades sitting on his throne deep in thought.


	3. Chapter 3: Blessings

Chapter 3: Dramatic Entrances, Blessings, and Dramatic Exits

Seven years later

Percy walked into the throne room of Hades wondering why he was being summoned. It was early December and Persephone was back in the Underworld. He figured Hades would be spending time with his wife while she there. He walked into the throne room but to his surprise, Persephone's throne was empty. Hades must have noticed his look of surprise. "She's not here at the moment because we're going to talk about something she's not too keen on: my demigod children." Percy cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean I'm here for your children?" he asked, confused. He didn't even know that Hades _had _any demigod children. Hades saw Percy's look of confusion and chuckled.

"After the great prophecy was made in the 1940s, my son and daughter were in danger. They were the only living children of the big three, so Zeus saw them as a threat to Olympus. After he killed their mother, I had Alecto wipe their minds in the River Lethe and hide them away in a place where time stands still." Percy's eyes widened but Hades' continued with his story. "It's in Las Vegas, called the Lotus Hotel and Casino. They were there for more than 60 years without aging, but last year I had Alecto take them out of the casino and enroll them in a boarding school in Maine. A team of demigods from Camp Half-Blood are heading to the school to pick them up as we speak. I want you to go as well. I trust your strength and judgment more than any of the campers'."

"Of course, Uncle Hades. What would you like me to do when I have them?" Hades frowned and stroked his chin. He thought for a minute before replying.

"Go to camp with them" he said finally. "War is brewing with my father and the campers will need all the help they can get to defeat him, including yours and that of my children. Their names are Bianca and Nico di Angelo; twelve and ten years old respectively. When they're safe, you can tell them that I'm their father. I'll also claim them at camp but I don't want that to be the way they learn it. They won't have a cabin at camp but I assume Chiron will allow them to stay in the big house. As for you, Poseidon said he'll talk to his son and you can stay in his cabin." Percy nodded and bowed his head. "I will transport you to the school in Maine, but I believeyour father wants to have a word with you first. Please watch out for my children. I hid them away for 60 years to protect them; I want them to still be alive when they come to visit the underworld." Before Percy could respond, Hades closed his eyes and murmured a few words that Percy didn't catch.

Nothing happened, and Percy was about to ask what was going on, when shadows began to pull themselves off the walls and fly toward the center of the room. The shadows swirled around for a few seconds in a vortex of darkness before solidifying into a hooded man with long black robes, a Stygian iron scythe, and a pair of enormous wings that seemed to flicker with shades of purple, blue, and black.

A moment later, a small storm cloud materialized a few feet to the left of Percy, and began to pour down rain that disappeared when it hit the ground. A figure of water took shape in the center of the downpour, almost as if a clear tank in the shape of a man was slowly being filled. When the figure was fully formed, the rain stopped and the cloud dissipated. The water figure froze, literally, and then shattered an instant later as Poseidon stepped out of the ice. He raised his hand and the ice on the floor melted before flowing together into his hand in the shape of a trident. The water hardened and darkened until he held his true trident in his hand.

Percy looked shocked; his father and grandfather were not very big on theatrics or dramatic entrances and exits. Poseidon nodded at Percy kindly before he looked at Hades expectantly. Percy looked at his father, but Thanatos just winked at him and also looked at Hades eagerly. Hades just sat silently on his throne; apparently deep in thought, until Percy's ADHD kicked in and he couldn't take the stillness anymore. "What is going on?" he finally blurted out. Hades laughed and waved a hand at Thanatos and Poesidon.

"They made a bet that each of them could make the most imposing entrance, and I'm the judge. If your father wins, Poseidon has to give up his fisherman's clothes and wear a suit for the next week, and if my brother wins, then your father has to give up his ancient style robes and wear modern clothes for the next week." Hades looked at Poseidon. "Brother, your entrance was more impressive…" Poseidon looked triumphant and smirked at Thanatos, "_but_ the bet was for the most imposing entrance, not the most impressive; and Thanatos' entrance was more imposing and dramatic." Poseidon's smile vanished and he sighed dejectedly. He snapped his fingers and his casual clothes disappeared, replaced by a black dress suit with a black shirt and sea-green tie.

Hades grinned and stood up. He bowed very deeply "Lord Zeus, I didn't see you there; to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked mockingly. Poseidon couldn't help but crack a smile at his brother, while Thanatos and Percy roared with laughter.

"I really don't know how Zeus can stand to wear these all the time;" Poseidon said "I can barely move."

"I think you look very professional, _Lord Poseidon_." Percy said with a smile. Poseidon seemed to remember why he was in Hades' palace to begin with, and his mood sobered.

"You're the only reason that Thanatos and I are even here right now, so we should do what we came here to do, so that you have time to help retrieve my brother's children. My son is one of the campers going to pick them up, but I'm afraid the campers will be in over their heads. I can only assume that my brother's children have a very strong scent, especially since there are two of them, so they probably have very powerful monsters watching them. Since it's finally time for you to leave the Underworld and go to camp to help fight Kronos, your father and I have gifts for you. Your mother gave you her sword, and I now wish to give you my blessing. Just as Artemis is the goddess of maidens and can only give her blessing to maidens, I can only give my blessing to children of the sea. However, as my grandson, you _are_ a child of the sea. Perseus Jackson, will you accept my blessing?" Percy nodded numbly. "Perseus Jackson, son of Sophia Jackson and Thanatos, god of death; I, Poseidon, lord of the seas, son of Kronos and Rhea, bestow upon you my blessing."

Poseiden gently pressed his trident to Percy's chest and a flash of green energy raced down the trident from his hand and into Percy's chest. Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you, grandfather." Poseidon smiled and gave him a hug. Thanatos cleared his throat.

"We're running low on time" he said "and I'm afraid Percy will need a few moments to recover after he receives my…_gift_." Percy looked nervous; he really didn't like the way his father had said the word "gift" almost like it wasn't really a gift. "Lord Hades, do I have your permission to bless my son?" Hades nodded but Percy just looked confused.

"I thought that simply by being your son, I received the same powers I would otherwise only receive with your blessing" Percy said.

"My blessing will not enhance the powers you already possess, it will simply grant you several new abilities, and one gift" Thanatos said gravely.

"A gift?"

"You'll see, son. Will you accept my blessing?" Percy nodded. "Perseus Jackson, son of Sophia Jackson; I, Thanatos, god of death and your father, son of Erebus and Nyx, bless you with my powers." Thanatos lifted his scythe and lightly placed the point against Percy's chest and sent a flash of darkness out of his hand, down the handle and the blade, and into Percy's chest, just as Poseidon had done with his trident. Thanatos smiled and hugged Percy tightly. When he let go, Percy took a step back and suddenly froze; he felt muscles in his back that he had never felt before. He tried to flex them, but he grimaced in pain when it felt like his back was splitting open.

"You might want to take your shirt off first" Thanatos said with a sad smile. He knew exactly what had to happen next, but he hated to see Percy in pain. "Go on; it will hurt…a lot, but just this once." Percy gritted his teeth and forced the new muscles on his back to extend. He screamed in agony when he felt like his back had just been torn open from the inside out. Poseidon gasped in shock, and Percy collapsed to the ground, vaguely aware that he was lying in a growing puddle of his own blood. Suddenly, the pain is his back reduced until it was replaced by a dull throbbing as a blast of water from Poseidon's trident washed over him. After another blast of water, the pain vanished altogether.

He pushed himself onto his feet and looked over his left shoulder. His eyes widened and then he looked over his right shoulder. He grinned at his father "So that's the gift you were talking about." He forced the new muscles on his back to return the position in which they had originally been, and looked back over his shoulder. "That… is badass. Thanks for healing me, grandfather" he said gratefully. "That hurt pretty bad." Poseidon was about to speak when Hades spoke instead.

"Now that all that is taken care of, it's time for you to go and save my kids; the group from Camp Half-Blood is already at the school." Before Percy could point out to Hades that he had no idea what Bianca and Nico actually _looked_ like, Hades snapped his fingers and Percy vanished into a shadow. He expected to feel sick from shadow travelling, but to his surprise, he felt completely fine. Hades and his father had transported him via shadow travel many times before, and it always left him ready to throw up. He shrugged and decided to ask Hades next time he saw him. He looked around and noticed he had appeared near the corner of a huge castle built from black stone, which he assumed was the school. _No wonder Uncle Hades sent his kids here,_ he thought, _it reminds me of his palace in the Underworld_.

Percy heard the front doors open, and slipped around the corner of the building. He peeked around the wall, and saw two dark-haired children walk out first, followed by a boy with black hair. They were followed by a tall man with a huge spiked tail sticking out of the back of his pants. Percy's eyes narrowed at the sight of the manticore, but he stayed back as the monster led the three children through the woods and toward the ocean.

Percy tapped the watch on his left wrist and it spiraled out into a black shield, decorated with scenes of death; a gift from Hades. Then, he reached into his pocket and paused. He felt a piece of paper in his pocket that he was sure hadn't been there before. He pulled it out, and saw that it was a small black and white photograph of two young children: the same boy and girl that were currently prisoners of the manticore. "_Bianca and Nico di Angelo" _was scrawled across the back of the photograph in blood red ink. He put the photograph back in his pocket and pulled out a cheap ballpoint pen as he quietly followed the monster and demigods into the woods.

The manticore stopped at the edge of a cliff and said something into a walkie-talkie. He began to talk to the kids in front of him, just a few feet away from the edge of a cliff. Percy could sense the presence of the ocean hundreds of feet below. Suddenly, the three demigod prisoners flew to the side as if something invisible had tackled them. It turned out that that's exactly what had happened. When they hit the ground, a blonde girl appeared with her arms wrapped around them as a Yankees cap fell off her head and into the snow.

Percy jumped forward while the monster was distracted and brought his pen down toward the manticore's tail. He flicked off the cap with his thumb mid-swing and it elongated into a three foot long, glowing celestial bronze sword. The monster heard him coming, spun around, and launched three spikes at Percy's chest before dropping his tail under Percy's swing. Percy blocked two of the spikes with his shield but the third embedded itself in his right shoulder.

Percy howled with pain and rage and ripped out the spike before he swung at the monster's throat. The manticore ducked under the swing and stepped forward, his hands thickening into lion paws as he jumped forward and tackled Percy to the ground. Percy couldn't help but chuckle when he saw a nametag on the monster's coat that read "_Dr. Thorn_." _A fitting name for a monster that shoots spikes, _he thought. Thorn raised his tail over his shoulder like a scorpion to stab him, but Percy bashed him in the face with his shield and scrambled to his feet.

He was joined by a girl with spiky black hair wielding a shield and spear. She glared at him before jabbing at the monster with her spear. Thorn knocked her blow aside and swung a paw at her. She used her shield to block the strike but the force knocked her off her feet. As he turned toward Percy again, the sound of a hunting horn cut through the air, and a silver arrow shot into the manticore's shoulder. He backed up nervously to the edge of the cliff when a group of girls in silver parkas stepped out of the woods, all of them with bows in their hands. A girl with long black hair and a silver tiara on her head stepped forward with an arrow pointed at the monster. "Permission to kill, my lady?" she asked, never taking her eyes off the manticore. A young girl with brown hair and silver eyes stepped forward. "Permission granted Zoe." Percy gasped when he heard her name, and started to step toward her.

Zoe loosed her arrow, but the manticore bounded forward on all four paws at the same moment, throwing off her aim. The arrow cut the monster's cheek open, and before Zoe could fire another arrow, Thorn landed right in front of Zoe and drove his claws into her sternum with so much force they protruded from her lower back, dripping with her blood. She stiffened and gasped before she coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the manticore's arm. The hunters all cried out in anger, but the girl with silver eyes gave a wail of anguish and dropped to her knees with tears running down her face. The hunters fired arrows at Thorn, careful not to hit Zoe, and he took an arrow in his leg and another in his shoulder before he staggered back and tumbled off the cliff with Zoe still impaled on his claws.

Percy groaned "I really liked this shirt" he mumbled. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy and Artemis' eyes flashed with anger when she thought Percy was mocking the death of her lieutenant and best friend, but he ran to the edge of the cliff and dove off. The last thing any of them saw of Percy before he disappeared was a pair of huge black wings tearing through the back of his shirt and flapping once, sending him rocketing down toward his target.


	4. Chapter 4: Rescue and Recompense

AN: Sorry, but not much happens in this chapter. I know the story is moving really slowly, but I'm just trying to give the characters and situations depth and I can't do that by rushing through it. This story has already had way more views than I thought it would; thank you so much! I'd really appreciate some more reviews! I have no idea whether you guys really like it or not, and I want to know what you think will make the story better. Even an "I'm looking forward to the next chapter" would mean the world to me. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 4: Rescue and Recompense

Percy dove off the cliff as he spread his wings before pumping them once with as much power as he could muster. He tucked his wings in as he accelerated toward Zoe and the manticore, the former's body limp and bloody. When he reached them, he used his sword to cut through the paw on which Zoe was still impaled, which turned to dust when it was severed from the monster's body.

Thorn bellowed with pain and tried to cut Percy's head off with his other paw. Percy ducked his head under the strike and knew that he had to get Zoe out of there before they hit the water. He placed one arm behind her back and another under her knees so he was holding her bridal style. Then he placed his feet on the manticore's chest and positioned himself parallel to the water, with Zoe still on his chest. Thorn realized a moment too late what Percy was about to do, but before he could react, Percy pushed as hard as he could with his legs and sent Thorn crashing into the side of the cliff. Percy immediately spun around so he was facing the water and spread his wings, pulling them out of their free fall. He looked back to where the manticore had fallen and almost felt sorry for him; _almost_. Thorn had slammed into the cliff wall and then landed with a sickening crunch on the rocks at the foot of the cliff before his mangled body dissolved into golden dust and was swept out to see by the pounding surf.

Percy circled back and slowly flew back up the cliff. Artemis was still in tears but when she saw the body of Zoe, she felt a spark of gratitude for the young demigod; at least Zoe could have a proper funeral. Zoe was barely conscious when Percy landed, his shirt covered with her blood. Artemis sobbed quietly when she realized that Zoe was still alive, and she could say goodbye before she died. She had been alive long enough and had seen enough wounds to know that Zoe was fatally wounded. Besides, being on the brink of death was the only way that Zoe would ever allow a male to hold her. Percy laid Zoe on the ground and Artemis sobbed as she gripped the hand of her best friend. All of the hunters had tears in their eyes, and the campers stood by awkwardly as they watched Artemis, known for her cold and harsh demeanor, weep unrestrainedly for her dying lieutenant.

Percy knelt down beside Zoe and grabbed her hand. She tried to pull it back and Artemis was about to turn him into a small animal and then skin him, but to her surprise, she noticed tears in the eyes of the young demigod. Zoe noticed the tears too and looked at him questioningly. "Zoe Nightshade" he whispered. Artemis and Zoe looked shocked that Percy knew Zoe's full name.

"How do you know who she is?" Artemis asked harshly. Percy ignored her and looked at Zoe.

"I wouldn't even exist were it not for you. Do you remember Sophia Jackson?" he asked quietly. Zoe nodded and tried to smile, but it turned into more of a grimace as she coughed up some more blood. "She's my mom."

"How?" she whispered. Percy knew what her question meant; Zoe had met his mother when she was a teenager in the 1930s. If he was her son, then he should have been an old man.

"I look forward to telling you the story someday" he said with small smile. Zoe shook her head and spit out another mouthful of blood.

"I think we all know that I'm out of time." She looked at Artemis and squeezed her hand tightly. "Have I served you well, my lady?" she whispered. More tears streaked down Artemis' face as she nodded sadly.

"Greater than any other. Rest, my friend." Zoe smiled sadly and closed her eyes. She could feel the life leaving her body and the pain in her chest and stomach dulled until she felt a hand grip her shoulder tightly. She felt her soul returning to her body, and the pain returned full force. She groaned and opened her eyes.

"This is Zoe Nightshade! You know what she did for mom!" Percy said angrily, his hand still on Zoe's shoulder, anchoring her soul to the world of the living and preventing his father from claiming her soul. Thanatos frowned at his son.

"You think I want to do this? I don't want her to die either, but I don't have a choice! She should be dead, and I'm here to lead her to the Underworld. I have to do this Percy. It breaks my heart, but I must."

"I won't let you!" Percy growled.

"I am a god! I am bound by ancient laws; there's nothing I can do and there's nothing you can do either!" Thanatos said sternly.

"You're right when you say that there's nothing _you_ can do; but there _is_ one thing left that _I_ can do, with the help of your sister." Percy's voice was as sharp and dark as his father's Stygian iron scythe. Thanatos looked confused and then his eyes widened when he realized what his son was about to do. No one could see or hear Thanatos, so they only heard Percy's side of the conversation, but they could tell by his tone of voice that he was about to do something drastic.

Thanatos' look of shock faded and was replaced with one of defeat. "I love you, son. Do what you must." Zoe coughed violently and gripped Artemis' hand.

"Who are you talking to?" Artemis asked. She had watched the seemingly one-sided exchange with surprise; even she couldn't see Thanatos if he didn't want to be seen. Percy shook his head and closed his eyes, but otherwise didn't answer. Artemis' eyes narrowed, but she kept herself from lashing out at the boy because it was obvious that he was the one keeping Zoe alive.

Percy bowed his head and whispered a short prayer to one of his many aunts. A moment later, a woman flashed onto the scene right next to Thanatos.

Unlike with Thanatos, everyone could see her, and Artemis looked at the minor goddess warily. She knew enough not to trust Nemesis, the goddess of balance and revenge. Percy looked at Nemesis pleadingly, and she slowly nodded her head before flashing out again. Percy looked relieved, but also a little nervous.

He looked at Zoe and smiled. "Like I said, I'll tell you the story of my life someday; but for now, close your eyes." Zoe did as he said, and felt Percy press a pen into her hand. "This is yours; I want you to have it back." Percy's left hand was still on her shoulder, and he laid his right hand gently over her wounds. "I, Perseus Jackson, with the permission of Lady Nemesis, accept upon myself all injuries and ailments from the body of Zoe Nightshade as recompense for the life debt owed to her by my mother, and by extension, the life she enabled me to live." Artemis gasped as Zoe's wounds disappeared from her body and appeared on Percy. His face turned deathly pale and he forced himself onto his feet. His vision began to darken at the edges as he staggered toward the edge of the cliff, only one thought on his mind: get to the water. Zoe tried to get to her feet to go after him but her vision spun and she passed out. She collapsed, but Artemis caught her and laid her back on the ground; Percy had taken her wounds, but she had still lost a vast amount of blood.

Percy finally reached the edge of the cliff and sent a disjointed prayer to Poseidon before he jumped off the cliff for the second time that night. Perhaps jumping is an exaggeration; he extended his wings as he stumbled off the cliff and dropped into a steep glide. He forced himself to stay conscious despite the immense pain he was in. He knew that if he hit the water, even from this height, the impact would not hurt him, but Poseidon's blessing would definitely _not_ protect him if he landed on the jagged rocks at the foot of the cliff. He glided for a few more seconds until the pain became unbearable, and he lost consciousness, tumbling into the churning sea.


	5. Chapter 5: Memories and Meetings

Chapter 5: Memories and Meetings

Percy's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly. The last thing he remembered was gliding off the cliff and passing out. He didn't feel any pain, so he lifted up his shirt and looked at his sternum as best he could in the dim light; it was completely smooth. _I'm either dead or dreaming_, he thought. He looked up at the moonlight shining through the canopy of leaves over his head and the soft grass under him. _I'm definitely dreaming; the Underworld isn't exactly known for its plants and moonlight. _He stood up looked around. A path wound through the trees a few feet in front of him, so he figured he might as well follow it and see where it went. He walked slowly until he heard a woman scream, the sound of a tremendous slap, and then a few muffled screams that he could barely hear. Percy's eyes widened and he dashed forward recklessly. He recognized the woman's voice: it was his mother.

Percy raced into a clearing and looked around frantically. To his right, five men were gathered in a tight circle in the shadow of a large tree. One of them had a beautiful young woman wrapped in his arms and one hand over her mouth as another tried to grope her. The skin on the right side of her lip was split and bleeding, and her cheek was already starting to bruise. A glowing bronze sword lay in the grass at her feet. Percy bellowed with rage and sprinted forward. He tried to tackle the two men on the left, who were laughing at what their friend was doing to the girl. Percy braced himself for impact but passed right through the two men as if they weren't even there. He stumbled for a few steps and looked back with tears in his eyes. There was nothing he could do to help his mom; he was powerless as the men held her down.

One of them tried to pull off her shirt, but she kicked him as hard as she could in the groin and he crumpled to the ground in agony, whimpering quietly. The biggest man stepped forward and punched her in the stomach. She tried to double over, but the man holding her kept her standing. By now, Percy was sobbing as he watched the scene unfold. His mother had told him once what had happened to her in Central Park when she was a teenager, but words couldn't accurately convey the brutality of the scene. The man pulled his fist back and punched her again, this time in the face. Percy heard a snap as her nose broke, and her head lolled forward. The man holding her threw her to the ground as the man she had kicked got to his feet with tears in his eyes from the pain.

"You bitch! I'm gonna kill you for that! But first, I'm gonna have some _fun _with you. And then my _buddies _are gonna have some fun with you. And then I'm gonna carve you up nice and slow for kicking me." He said with a sadistic smile. Sophia shuddered and coughed blood all over the man's shoes. He gave an exclamation of disgust and kicked her again in the stomach a few times with a pair of steel-toed combat boots. "Get her up" he said to the man who had been holding her, and he pulled her to her feet. The wind shifted and blew aside the branches as a ray of moonlight shone on her face. The man who appeared to be the leader reached down to tear her shirt off when a silver arrow impaled his hand.

He howled and turned around to see a teenage girl with a silver circlet in her black hair. She held a silver bow in her hand and her black eyes blazed with murder. "I see that her celestial bronze didn't work on you, but silver will do just fine," she said venomously. Faster than any human should have been able to, she fired off four arrows. The leader's four friends dropped to the ground, an arrow in each of their throats. The one remaining man used his uninjured hand to reach around his back for a gun but Zoe sent an arrow through that hand as well. The four men on the ground gurgled as they choked to death on their own blood. Zoe glared at the man who was left before shooting arrows as quickly as she could into his manhood as he shrieked with agony. After seven or eight arrows, her bow and quiver disappeared. She walked slowly towards the man, who was now lying in the ground, whimpering in fear and pain.

She crouched next to him and pulled out a silver hunting knife. "If I had time I would skin you alive." The man's eyes widened and he tried feebly to push himself away from her. She just placed her foot on his chest and leaned forward. "However, I need to check on the girl you almost killed, so I suppose it's your lucky day." She slashed her knife across his throat and then calmly wiped the blood off on his shirt. She walked over to Sophia and frowned; this was beyond her skill to treat, let alone heal. She knew someone that could heal her, but she wasn't sure if the girl would actually live long enough to make it to their destination.

She unzipped her jacket and wrapped it around Sophia's shoulders. Then, she gently lifted the barely conscious girl in a bridal carry. She walked for a few minutes until she reached the edge of the park with Percy following them. She set Sophia down on a bench and hailed a taxi. One pulled up and she put Sophia inside before sliding in next to her. Percy wasn't sure what to do so he stepped right through the passenger door and sat down. The cab driver looked at her questioningly. "What happened to her?"

"She had a little too much to drink. Empire State Building." The cab driver shrugged and pulled back out into the traffic. Suddenly, a man that was very familiar to Percy appeared sitting next to Sophia. He was dressed in black robes and had a pair of wings folded across his back. He cleared his throat as Sophia's eyes widened. She looked at Zoe, but Zoe just looked grimly out the window as if she hadn't seen or heard a thing.

"She can't see or hear me, you know," he said in a deep, rich voice, "because she is not about to die." Sophia looked scared and his stern face relaxed a little. "I'm Thanatos, the god of death, and yes, you're on the brink of death, but you're not even trying to stay alive. I think I know where the girl is taking you, and if you can stay awake for a few more minutes, you'll live. However, if you lose consciousness, you _will _die, so I suggest you put up a little more of a fight." Sophia just looked confused that the god of _death _was giving her advice on how to stay _alive. _"Most people I visit don't have a choice in their death; it was chosen for them, but your life is in your hands. Live or die, it's all up to you now." With that, he vanished as the cab pulled up at the Empire State Building.

Zoe pulled a handful of cash from her pocket and tossed it to the driver as she stepped out with Sophia in her arms and Percy still following them. She walked into the lobby and up to the security guard. "Key to Olympus, now!" she said sternly. The guard looked up from his book ready to argue, but one look at Zoe's face silenced him. He nodded and handed her a bronze key. Zoe walked into the elevator and pressed the key into a small keyhole. She turned it and a button that said "600" appeared above the rest. She pressed it, and the elevator shot up. A few moments later, she walked across the bridge connecting the elevator to Olympus and towards a huge golden palace. She kicked on the door a few times and it was opened by a sleepy looking Apollo.

"Zoe? What the hell are you doing here? It's midnight."

"She's dying and I know you can save her." Apollo looked at the girl in her arms and his sleepy frown disappeared, replaced instantly with an expression of firm determination.

"Bring her in. Put her down on that couch." Zoe gently put Sophia down and Apollo looked her over quickly. "Severe internal bleeding, a couple of ruptured organs, broken nose, and to top it off, she's in shock. I can't believe she's still conscious."

"Can you heal it?" Zoe asked anxiously. Apollo snorted derisively.

"Hello? God of medicine here. Of course I can heal it." He placed his hand over Sophia's stomach and sent a gentle stream of healing energy into her injuries. Then he moved onto her face as he erased the bruise on her cheek and straightened her nose out. He leaned back and nodded his head slowly. "It's a good thing you brought here so quickly; no one else would've been able to heal her. Even I wouldn't have been able to if you'd waited a few more minutes. As much as I would like to stay and chat with a couple of beautiful girls, I'm tired as shit so I'm going to send you back to the hunter's camp and then go back to bed.

"Thank you, Lord Apollo," Zoe said with difficulty; she obviously didn't like him, but she still forced it out anyway. Apollo beamed at her and snapped his fingers, teleporting them away as Percy's dream dissolved.

He felt himself wake up, this time for real, bobbing on the waves like a cork, face down in the water and still breathing normally. He grinned at that, and swam down a few feet to where the water was still, and lifted his shirt to look at his chest. The wounds on his chest had disappeared completely, but his whole torso felt tight and a little painful, but it was no longer overwhelming. Somehow, he knew exactly where he was; he was about eight miles off the cost of Long Island, not far from Camp Half-blood. He climbed to his feet on the surface of the water and spread his wings before taking off into the sky.

This was his first chance to really fly with his new wings, and now he could completely understand the story of Icarus. Daedalus and his son Icarus had escaped from their prison on wings created by Daedalus. Daedalus had warned his son to be careful but Icarus was reckless and flew too close to the sun. The sun melted the wax holding the wings together and he fell to his death in the sea. Percy understood why Icarus couldn't control himself when it came to flight, it gave him a thrill unlike any other he had ever had.

Percy could have made it to camp in a few minutes but he spent over an hour flying circles, flips, and tricks until he was dizzy. He completely forgot about the pain in his chest as the joy of flight washed away every other sensation. Finally, he turned back toward Long Island and flew over Long Island Sound. He had never actually been to Camp Half-Blood, so he didn't know exactly where it was, but he knew it was right on the water of Long Island Sound. He scanned the beaches as he flew and had almost given up hope when he spotted an amphitheater and a huge Greek style pavilion. _Bingo, _he thought. He tucked in his wings and dropped down before opening them back up a few hundred feet away and gliding to the ground at the edge of the dining pavilion, which was scattered with a few dozen kids eating dinner.

Everyone stared at him and he heard more than a few gasps of shock when he retracted his wings and they slid smoothly into his back, vanishing from sight. Most of the girls couldn't take their eyes off him, despite the less-than-stellar condition of his clothes. The back of his shirt and jacket were ripped open from his wings and all his clothes were deeply stained with blood. He gave Zoe a crooked grin. "So this is where the party's at?"

Obviously, most of the campers had never seen Percy before, but they had all heard about him from the ones who had seen him in Maine. Zoe stood up and stormed over to Percy. He expected a "thank you" for saving her life but instead she slapped him. He yelped in surprise and put his hand on his cheek. "What was that for?" he asked in shock.

"What was that for?" she repeated slowly. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR? You save my life, jump off a cliff without even telling me your name, make everyone think you're dead, come back three gods damned days later, and you're surprised that I slapped you?" She shouted. Percy eyes widened.

"Three days? I was out for three days?" Zoe nodded emphatically. "Hmm, well I guess that explains why I'm so hungry, doesn't it? he asked innocently. Zoe just stared at him in shock until he rolled his eyes and stuck his hand out. "Perseus Jackson, but you can call me Percy." She slowly shook his hand and then stepped back as a black image of a tombstone appeared over Percy's head and spun slowly. Percy looked up and nodded, completely unsurprised."You already know who my mom is, and I guess that clears up the other half of my parentage." Zoe's mouth was still open in shock from the information overload. Percy gently pushed her jaw back up and said "Close your mouth; you'll catch flies." She pushed his hand aside and slapped him again for good measure. He just grinned at her and walked over to the head table, where everyone, even Dionysus, was still staring at him in shock.

"Um, hello Percy Jackson," Chiron said nervously. He had never met a child of Thanatos before, and didn't even know if Thanatos had ever actually _had _any demigod children before; mortals didn't exactly have the best relationship with death. Percy noticed Chiron's discomfort and tried to break the ice.

"I just found out that I was unconscious for three days, so I'm actually pretty hungry at the moment. Is there any chance I could get a plate of that barbecue? You're all going to have to get used to me eventually, but I figure it's easier over a plate of food." He said casually. Chiron nodded, shocked that Percy had been there for five minutes and he was already taking control of the situation. He had trained heroes for millennia, and he could instantly tell that Percy was a natural leader.

While he was thinking, a tree nymph walked over with a plate of food and handed it to Percy with a shy smile. He thanked her and gave her a dazzling smile and she blushed bright green. Chiron cleared his throat awkwardly. "This is Mr. D, our camp director" he said, gesturing to the man sitting next to him, "and I'm Chiron, the activities director. Unfortunately, we actually don't have a cabin or dining table for your father, but…" he faltered as an Iris message popped up next to him with Poseidon on the other side, still dressed in a suit. Chiron was shocked, but bowed his head. "Lord Poseidon, to what do I owe the honor?

"Percy doesn't have a place to stay so he can stay in my cabin if he wants to; I'm sure Patrick wouldn't mind the company."

"If I may ask, what is your relationship to Percy?" Chiron asked cautiously. Poseidon looked past Chiron at Percy and winked.

"Oh, he's a legacy of mine, so I have to help look out for him because he's too dumb to think for himself." Poseidon said with a smile. Percy snorted derisively.

"Look who's talking." Chiron's eyes widened and most of the campers gasped as they fully expected Poseidon to flash into the dining pavilion and kill Percy for his comment. He looked at Percy sternly.

"Are you implying that I'm stupid, young man?" he said harshly, but a careful observer would have noticed the twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, I'm not saying you're particularly sharp, but that suit certainly is. How's it feeling? Looks uncomfortable." Percy said with a smirk. Poseidon glared at Percy for a few seconds as everyone held their breath, waiting for a response. However, he just threw his head back and roared with laughter, to the shock of everyone watching.

"You got me there, my boy. However, this suit may be uncomfortable, but I think your chest probably feels a lot worse." Percy laughed and the entire camp started at him as he bantered playfully with one of the most powerful Olympian gods.

"Get back to your dinner. I'll talk to you later. Oh, and Chiron? How about another game of capture the flag? I think Percy will astonish you. Don't forget to check your cabin Percy; all your stuff is there." Poseidon slashed his hand through the message and the image faded.

"Chiron, I'll tell you my story later, but for now, I'm going to eat dinner." Percy said nonchalantly. He walked over to the fire and scraped some food into it. "Thanatos, Poseidon, and Hades," he whispered. Then, he walked over to the Poseidon table, sat down, and stuck out his hand to the boy that was sitting there. "Perseus Jackson, but you can call me Percy, and all that; blah blah blah. I'll explain everything later, but for now, I'm really hungry." Then, he began to eat his dinner, completely ignoring the strange looks he was getting from every single person in the pavilion.

"Um, nice to meet you…my name's Patroclus Anderson, but everyone calls me Patrick."

"Nice to meet you, Patrick." Percy said between bites.

Chiron was still shocked that Percy had been so casual with Poseidon, but he cleared his throat. "Lord Poseidon suggested another game of capture the flag, so prepare for a game after dinner." The campers looked excited and hoped that Percy would be able to break their losing streak against the hunters. The hunters were laughing, smiling, and looking at the campers like they were pieces of meat. They had beaten the campers the night they had arrived, and they were prepared to do it again.

Soon, the conch horn sounded and everyone began to walk out of the pavilion to get ready for the game. "We'd better get you to the armory and get you fitted out" Patrick said to Percy, who just smirked in response.

"Your dad said my stuff would be in your cabin; hopefully my armor is there too. If it's not, I'll just play without" he said with a shrug. "I can protect myself." Patrick nodded and led Percy to cabin three. Sure enough, two large black duffel bags were sitting on the bed just inside the door with a note on top. Patrick walked off and started putting on his own armor, and Percy glanced at the note. It said _"You'll find a sword modeled after Riptide in the side pocket of the other bag. I figured since you gave it back to Zoe, you'll be needing a new sword. –Dad PS: I know you're always losing stuff, so this one will return to you just like Riptide did." _He smiled and looked through the first bag. It was full of clothes, so he pulled out a clean set of clothes and turned his attention to the other bag.

He grinned as he pulled out a set of Stygian iron armor, the breastplate modified with thin slits in the back to allow his wings to extend. He put the armor to the side and felt around in the side pocket of the duffel bag. He pulled out a purple ballpoint pen and uncapped it. It elongated into a double-edged Stygian iron sword that felt exactly like his old sword. He pressed the cap to the point of the sword, and it shrunk back into a pen. He put it on the bed and quickly changed out of his ragged clothes into a clean set. He noticed with satisfaction that the shirts and jackets all had a second layer of fabric running down his spine with two thin slits underneath for his wings. It was a clever design; he didn't have visible holes in his clothes, but he also didn't have to take off his shirt every time he wanted to stretch his wings.

He picked the pen up and slipped it into his pocket. He made sure he was still wearing the watch that Hades had given him for his twelfth birthday, and grinned when he saw the look of surprise on Patrick's face when he walked to the door and saw Percy.

"Damn dude. You look badass! Where are your weapons?" Percy smirked and tapped the watch on his wrist. It spiraled out into a Stygian iron shield covered with scenes of death beautifully engraved into the black metal. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a purple ballpoint pen. He flicked the cap off with his thumb and a Stygian iron sword sprang to life in his hand. Percy grinned and tossed the sword onto the ground behind him, where it promptly disappeared and reappeared in pen form in his pocket. He tapped the inside of his shield and it collapsed back into a watch before he threw an arm around Patrick's shoulder.

"This is going to be one _hell_ of a game!" he said as they walked out the door.


	6. Chapter 6: Camper Conflicts and CTF

AN: Hey guys, sorry it's taken longer than before to get this chapter out. The main reasons are because fight scenes are pretty tough to write (for me, at least), and after writing the chapter, I scrapped most of it and started over because it was really bad. I think it's a lot better now. Thank you to everyone for reading and for all the reviews, but I would _really _love to have some more reviews. Tell me anything you want to see in the story and I'll see what I can do to work your ideas in. Also, I want to know what your opinions are on the pace of the story. I know it's moving really slowly, but I'm trying not to make it dull. Like I said before, moving at a slower pace is the only way to give the characters and situations real depth.

Also, I've gotten a few questions about the pairing for this story, and I've pretty much completely decided that this will _not_ be Percabeth. Right now, I'm leaning toward Percy and Zoe, because that's one of my favorite ships, and what's happened so far would make that pairing the easiest to work into the story. I might still do Pertemis, but at the moment that seems unlikely, since I already have an idea of how to get Zoe out of the hunt so she can eventually be with Percy.

Anyway, please review and tell me what you like, what you don't like, or what you want me to put in the story. I read every review (not very impressive when there are only a couple), but no matter how many I get, I promise to read them all. Reviews are what keep me motivated to write.

**Chapter 6: Camper Conflicts and Capture the Flag **

"So… Patroclus. That's a pretty cool name. You know, I was trained by _the_ Patroclus." Percy said casually. Patrick looked at him in shock and looked for any sign of humor in Percy's face, but he just looked amused. "He's a good man and a great warrior. I grew up in the Underworld in my dad's palace because my mom isn't mortal. She's his wife." Patrick's eyes grew as large as saucers.

"You mean you're a… god?" he asked incredulously. Percy just chuckled and shook his head.

"I said she's not mortal; I didn't say she's a goddess. Believe it or not, I'm not a distant legacy of Poseidon, I'm his grandson. My mother was his last demigod child before you. To make a long story short, she was born in 1921 and actually developed a friendship with my father while she was still alive. He appeared to her once when she was close to dying and told her how to stay alive. A few years later, when it was truly time for her to die, instead of claiming her soul, he offered her the chance to be immortalized as his wife instead of dying. She's immortal, but she's not a goddess, so therefore I'm not a god, but I'm still more powerful than most demigods. Your father blessed me with his powers, and I also received a full blessing from my father as well, which is what gave me these," he popped his wings out and grinned.

"My father gave you his blessing? Why? How? What does that even really _mean?_ I didn't even know the gods could _do_ that." Patrick said, feeling a little hurt that his father hadn't given him his blessing, whatever it was. Percy must have noticed Patrick's look of hurt.

"Generally, they _can't_ do it. They can only bless someone in the sphere of their domain. For example, your father can only bless children of the sea, Artemis can only bless maidens, Ares can only give his blessing to his own children, and even then, only when they're in battle, so on and so forth. Usually, a god's blessing does the same thing that being their child would do. For example, Artemis' blessing gives her huntresses increased endurance, strength, skill with a bow, and a bunch of other cool shit. If Artemis actually had children, they would inherently have all the same skills that her hunters have. So, basically, you don't _need_ to be blessed by your father because you already have his powers simply by being his son."

"But you said that your father blessed you. If you're his son, why'd he have to do that?"

"It pretty much just gave me wings like his; other than that, it didn't do much. The other reason that gods don't bless demigods is because demigod bodies can't handle that kind of power. If another god tried to bless you, you would burn up just like if you ate too much ambrosia or nectar. I'm only able to handle it because I'm actually 75 percent god and 25 percent mortal; my body's able to handle more godly power. We'll continue this later; for now, we have a game to win." Patrick nodded, determined that he would take Percy up on that offer later that night.

Patrick and Percy had walked slowly as they talked, so they were the last ones to arrive to the dining pavilion. The hunters shot them dirty looks but Percy just smiled back radiantly. They looked disgusted and continued planning their strategy for the game. Chiron stomped his hoof for silence when everyone was gathered. "Since the campers had the west side of the creek in our last game, they will have the east side this time. The flag must be easily visible, there is to be no intentional maiming, and obviously no killing. All magic items are allowed, but Perseus, you are not allowed to fly; it just wouldn't be fair." The campers groaned; they had been expecting Percy to fly in and grab the flag for an easy victory. Chiron ignored their protests and continued, "As always, I will act as referee and battle medic. Take your positions. The conch horn will signal the start in twenty minutes."

The hunters ran off quickly and the campers gathered in a circle on their side of the woods. The blonde girl from Maine spoke up, and from the way everyone listened, he could tell her opinion was respected. "I'm guessing they'll put their flag on Zeus's Fist just like we did in the last game. I'm sure they weren't going to because that would have made it too easy for Percy to grab it, but since he's not allowed to fly up and retieve it, that's now the most logical choice." _She's definitely a daughter of Athena_, Percy thought. "I'm thinking we can put our flag in the usual spot. Hermes and Demeter cabins guard the creek to the north. Beckendorf and Jake, come with me. Silena, take everyone else and guard the creek to the south." Everyone nodded and she grabbed the flag. "I'll place the flag. Patrick and Thalia, can you guys actually work together for once and decide on a strategy for offense? I'll be back in a minute" Thalia glared at Patrick but nodded anyway. "Good" she said, and ran off to place their flag, followed by Beckendorf and Jake Mason. Everyone else scattered, leaving just Thalia, Patrick, and Percy standing together

The girl with spiky black hair, who Percy now knew was Thalia, gave Percy a dirty look. She was obviously still resentful for his interference in Maine. Percy watched her carefully and noticed her hands tighten on her spear. He waited for her to make a move, and sure enough, she jabbed her spear at him suddenly. He easily stepped to the left of her thrust and grabbed the shaft of her spear with his right hand. He assumed she would assume that he was going to try to pull the spear out her hands, so he smirked as he watched her knuckles whiten as she gripped the spear tighter. He pulled as hard as he could and she stumbled forward, her arms stretched in front of her, still holding onto the spear. Percy pushed down with his hand so the tip was pointed at the dirt and slid his hand up the celestial bronze shaft and tightened his grip near her hands. He pushed as hard as he could and the spear buried itself into the ground. Thalia was still moving forward and her stomach slammed into the butt of her spear that was now firmly anchored in the ground. Her armor protected her from being completely winded, but she gasped as she came to an abrupt halt. Percy slapped his watch to summon his shield, and slammed it down on her spear, right in the middle, breaking it in half. He retracted his shield and pulled the front half of the spear out of the ground and held the point to Thalia's throat.

"Why did you do that?" he asked in a calm but steely voice.

She slowly put her hand on the spear and suddenly sent a massive shock through the metal shaft that blasted Percy back into a tree. "I just wanted to see how good you are. You didn't have to break my spear! That was a gift from my father." Percy didn't respond, he just gritted his teeth and clutched at the left side of his chest in agony as he gasped desperately for air. Thalia paled; she hadn't meant to shock him so hard, but she had let her anger get the best of her. She had shocked him so hard she had caused a heart arrhythmia, possibly even cardiac arrest. Percy's heart was beating so quickly he couldn't even discern each individual heartbeat, and his right hand was severely burned from where the electrical current had entered his body. Suddenly, he stiffened as he realized that his heart had just stopped. He thought he was about to die when a stream of water washed over him and his heart jumped back into overdrive.

Patrick had stared at Thalia in shock, while she looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He suddenly remembered what Percy had said earlier and summoned a steady stream of water from the creek and poured it onto Percy. Slowly, his hand healed and his heart slowed down to a normal speed.

"Percy, I'm…" Thalia began, but Percy slowly got to his feet, his eyes blazing with anger.

"You want to play with powers? I'll show you power." He extended his wings and jumped toward Thalia, using his wings and legs to propel him forward at superhuman speed. He landed right in front of her and grabbed the front of her breastplate. Before she could react, he shot straight up until they were several thousand feet above Camp Half-Blood. He loosened his grip and she sobbed, her fear of heights completely erasing all her confidence. "My father is the god of death, but I don't like to kill people; I've already seen enough death to last a lifetime. Not to mention I really don't want your father as an enemy. But,if you try to kill me again, I _will _kill you. You stopped my heart and the only reason I'm even alive is because of Patrick. Learn how to control your temper real fast, or you're not going to have a second chance.

Thalia nodded and Percy descended back into the clearing they had come from. When he put Thalia down, she collapsed and started shaking. At that moment, the blonde girl walked back. "The flag is…oh my gods! Thalia, what's wrong?" She dropped to her knees beside her friend and wrapped an arm comfortingly around her shoulders. Thalia was still shaking, and Annabeth glared at Patrick, assuming he was the cause of her distress. "What happened?" she demanded. Percy closed his wings and stepped forward.

"She tried to kill me twice. We had a little… _chat_ at three thousand feet." He said coldly. Annabeth glared at him and hugged Thalia tighter, rubbing her back soothingly

"I'm sure she didn't mean it," she said, but her defense sounded weak, even to her. Percy rolled his eyes.

"She tried to skewer me with her spear, and then shocked me so hard my heart literally stopped pumping. The only reason I'm not dead is because Patrick remembered that water heals me and poured some onto me from the creek. If he hadn't saved me, Thalia would currently be having more than just a chat with Hades, Poseidon, and my father."

"You scared her half to death; she's in shock!" The blonde girl was right. Thalia looked confused, her skin was pale and clammy, and she was starting to hyperventilate. Percy walked over and waved his hand in front of her face.

"Sleep!" he commanded sternly. Thalia's eyes immediately closed and her breathing began to slow down. He picked her up and extended his wings. "She fell and hit her head. I put her to sleep to stabilize her and took her to Chiron. Do you understand?" Patrick and the blonde girl nodded and he took off to find Chiron waiting by the side of the woods. He looked shocked at seeing Thalia in Percy's arms but he didn't say anything. "She hit her head. I put her to sleep to stabilize her." He said quickly. Chiron raised an eyebrow but he didn't say anything. Percy relaxed a little and smiled. "I'll tell you what really happened at some point, but that's what we're going to tell everyone else. Where do I put her?"

"Just leave her here. I'll take care of her. Just so I know what to do to help her, what really happened to her?"

"She was in shock, but she'll be fine when she wakes up. Tell her the story I told you when she does." He sighed, "Long story short, she made a couple really bad choices, and I didn't respond as well as I could have. I'll tell you later, but the game is about to start; I have to go." With that, Percy jumped back into the sky and soared back to the clearing where Patrick and the blonde girl were still waiting.

To Percy's astonishment, the girl stuck her hand out, and he shook it tentatively. He figured she would hate him for what he did to Thalia, not politely inctroduce herself. "I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena; Patrick told me what happened. I don't blame you for what you did. Thalia has some issues controlling her anger; she definitely got that from her father. Her father's Zeus, by the way," she added quickly, but Percy just smiled.

"I figured that out when she shocked me. Anyway, nice to meet you, Annabeth. I'm guessing you're the brains around here; what's the plan?"

"You stay back and guard our flag; Patrick and I will go for theirs. He'll be the distraction, while I'll grab the flag unseen." She pulled a Yankees cap out of her pocket and put it on, immediately disappearing from sight. She took it off and put it back in her pocket. "While he has their attention, I'll get the flag and get back over the creek as quickly as possible. Come with me; I'll show you where the flag is. I'll be back in a second, Patrick. Just wait here." She led Percy through the woods for a few minutes before she pointed to a clearing up ahead. "Beckendorf and Jake will help you guard the flag. Good luck." With that, she turned around and ran back to Patrick.

Percy walked into the clearing and looked around. On the far side was a wall of rock about 30 feet tall, and the flag was resting against the bottom of it. It was a good place for the flag; it could only be approached from the front, so none of the hunters could sneak around and grab it from behind. When he walked out, two boys who were sitting on the ground stood up. The taller one, a huge African-American kid, spoke up. "I'm Beckendorf and this is Jake Mason, sons of Hephaestus. I'm guessing you're here to help guard the flag?" Percy grinned and nodded.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Percy Jackson, and yes, I'm here to help guard the flag. So we just wait around for someone to show up?" Beckendorf chuckled.

"Pretty much; but it won't take long. Their lieutenant always comes for the flag, and she's the best fighter I've ever seen. Annabeth said our best hope for winning is just in slowing her down long enough for her and Patrick to get their flag first."

"Best warrior you've ever seen, huh? Tell you what, leave her to me when she gets here. I want to see how good she really is." Beckendorf just shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever you say man. I'm no coward but I don't want to go up against her; she's pretty scary when she's angry; which is like, always." "Percy nodded and sat down on a boulder. Neither Beckendorf nor Jake said anything as they both pulled little pieces of metal out of their pockets and fiddled with them. As sons of Hephaestus, they weren't very good at socializing, but their hands were always busy. The conch horn sounded and the game began, but none of them paid much attention until Percy stood up and looked into the forest. He heard the twang of a bowstring and reacted without thinking. He wrapped his wings in front of him, but instead of sinking into his wings, an arrow glanced off and sparked harmlessly against the rock wall behind him.

Percy grinned and retracted his wings to see Zoe with her bow outstretched and a shocked look on her face. She had a huntress on either side of her, but she nodded slightly and they circled to the right and left. Jake and Beckendorf each walked toward one of them, leaving Zoe facing off against Percy. To the sides, Percy was dimly aware of Beckendorf and Jake fighting the other two huntresses as Zoe slowly walked toward him, her bow at her side. Suddenly, her bow disappeared and she pulled out a pair of silver hunting knives. She looked at him expectantly, but instead of taking out his sword and shield, he pulled off his helmet and breastplate and tossed them behind him.

"You don't have any armor on; I don't want you to have the speed advantage." He held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. "Shall we?" he asked mischievously. Zoe bounded forward and brought both knives down toward his head. He dodged to her right and punched her in the chin, sending her reeling back. She recovered quickly and slashed at his chest, but he ducked under it and spun behind her. He kicked her in the back and she stumbled forward a few steps. She spun around, ready to block another blow, but Percy was waiting calmly for her to attack him.

She slashed at his throat, but he knocked her wrist aside as he tried to dodge around her. Zoe was determined not to let him get around her again and kicked him in the chest. Zoe sheathed her knives and her bow reappeared in her hands. She fired an arrow at Percy, but he caught it out of the air and lunged forward, trying to stab her with it. He thought she was defenseless because she didn't have time to nock another arrow, but she swung her bow like a baseball bat and cracked him in the temple. He crashed to the ground and she stepped toward him, but he swept her legs out with his own and jumped forward, the arrow still in his hand and a knee on her chest.

He held the point of the arrow to her chin. "Do you yield?" he asked with a slight smile, and she nodded slowly.

"I yield…" he helped to her feet and noticed her smirk, "but _she_ doesn't." He turned just in time to see another huntresses swing her bow like a club and knock him back to the ground. He groaned; he had forgotten about the other two huntresses. He sat up and rubbed his head. This huntress was built like a professional wrestler; she sure packed a punch. She saw him trying to get up and nocked an arrow and pointed it at him.

"Stay down," she said threateningly. He nodded, but the second she took her eyes off him to glance back at Zoe, he opened his shield and lunged forward. She saw the motion in her peripheral vision and fired her arrow but it glanced off his shield and he slammed into her, shield first. He pinned her down triumphantly but saw the other huntress grab the flag and dash into the woods. He growled but a couple seconds later, he heard the conch horn, signaling that someone had won the game. He grinned; there was no way even a hunter could have made it back to the creek that fast, which meant that the campers had won.

Zoe pressed her lips together in frustration, and Percy laughed. He stood up and offered his hand to the girl on the ground, but she ignored it and stood up on her own. She stalked off; leaving Percy and two injured sons of Hephaestus in the small clearing. "You fight well," Zoe said grudgingly. "It has been many years since the campers have beaten us at capture the flag, and even longer since a camper has defeated _me_, but I can tell you were not trained the same as the others."

"In Maine, I told you I would tell you my whole story someday. I think "someday" is soon, but for now, I have a couple sons of Hephaestus to get to the infirmary, and you have your hunters to return to. I'm guessing they're going to be pretty angry they lost; they seem _very_ competitive." Zoe shook her and laughed.

"You have no idea. I'll see you tomorrow, Perseus." She bounded off, leaving Percy with a small smile on his face as he watched her disappear into the woods.


	7. Chapter 7: Explanations

AN: I should've mentioned this earlier, but in this storyline, Bianca doesn't join the hunters; at least not yet. She might later, but I really don't know. She and Nico are still in the Hermes cabin because they haven't been claimed yet. Also, in the last chapter, I said that Beckendorf and Jake Mason were unconscious after their fights with the hunters, but I just went back and changed it to say that they were injured; it just makes things a little easier for me. I'm just trying to clear up any confusion that might arise. Please review! Reviews are the motivation to keep writing. Sorry, but not much happens in this chapter. I was going to include the prophecy, but that will go in the next chapter. Speaking of which, part of the reason this chapter took so long was because I spent pretty much an entire day just writing the prophecy. Having it already done will just make the next chapter come quicker. I hope you like it.

Chapter 7: Explanations

Percy helped Beckendorf and Jake Mason get to the infirmary before he headed over to the dining pavilion. The campers were ecstatic that they had won their first game against the hunters in almost three decades. The hunters had disappeared into their cabin in a rage, having no taste for the festivities of the campers. Even though it was already very late, Chiron allowed them to stay up and celebrate, since the hunters had not been beaten at capture the flag since the 1980s.

After Beckendorf and Jake told everyone about the way that Percy had defeated Zoe, they crowded around him with congratulations. He smiled at their eagerness as he pestered him with questions; mostly about his wings, but he brushed them all aside, saying they would all find out eventually.

He kept his eyes open, and soon spotted the two children he was looking for. They were sitting by the fire and talking to a young girl who was tending the flames. Percy smiled when he saw them. Hestia was Hades' favorite sibling, and he spoke of her often. She was the only goddess who had always cared for him and visited him, even after he became the god of the Underworld. Percy had met her several times over the years when she had visited Hades, so he knew her by sight.

He sat down next to Nico and Bianca and smiled at Hestia with a slight bow of his head. "Lady Hestia, it's an honor," he said sincerely. Hestia smiled warmly at him and looked at him curiously.

"I assume you wish to speak with Bianca and Nico? Would you like me to leave?" She asked.

"I would be honored for you to stay. You have always been kind to your brother, and I'm guessing you already know these are his children?" Hestia laughed sweetly and nodded.

"I've always known about them, but I didn't tell them who he is because it's not my place." Percy nodded, but the gears in Nico's mind were working.

"If our father is your brother, and you're Hestia, then that must mean that we're the children of one of the Big Three, doesn't it?" He asked excitedly. "I hope it's Hades; he's my favorite, but Zeus and Poseidon are pretty cool too. I don't have a Hades figurine, but I have Zeus and Pos….uuummpph. Hey!" Nico pulled his sister's hand off of his mouth and glared at her, but she seemed to be used to it. She looked at Percy expectantly, and he smiled at their interaction.

"Your father is Hades, the god of the Underworld. He sent me to help the campers rescue you in Maine. The plan was for me to come here to camp with you and explain everything before he claimed you. However, I had to take a slight detour, so your father waited to claim you until I could show up and talk to you first."

"Why did he ask you to do it? Do you know him?" Bianca asked, while Nico was still grinning at finding out that he was the son of his favorite god.

"I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone else; it would raise too many questions. I said I was a descendant of Poseidon, but I'm actually his grandson. My mother, a daughter of Poseidon, is married to Thanatos, the god of death. Since she's not a goddess, I'm not a god, but I have the powers of Poseidon and my father. Because of their relationship, Hades is my great-uncle, so I'm on pretty good terms with him."

"Does that mean you grew up in the Underworld?" Nico asked in awe.

"Yeah; while I grew up, I was trained by a bunch of dead heroes like Achilles, Patroclus, and Theseus." Nico was practically jumping up and down with excitement, and even Bianca looked surprised. "I got wings as a gift from my father just a few days ago; I wasn't born with them. You want to see something cool?" he asked with a grin. Nico nodded vigorously and Percy extended his wings. He wrapped one in front of him and drove his sword into it. Bianca yelped in surprise and even Hestia looked shocked. However, their looks of surprise quickly morphed into ones of awe as the sword was turned aside by the feathers.

"What are your wings made of?" Bianca asked, carefully inspecting his wing. "They look like normal feathers. How is that even possible?"

"I have no idea. During capture the flag, Zoe shot an arrow at me and without thinking, I covered myself with my wings. Then, my wings just deflected the arrow. I don't know how they do it, but it makes them _so_ much cooler." At that moment, the conch horn blew, signaling that it was time for the campers to go to bed. Percy stood up and stretched his wings. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Goodbye Lady Hestia." Hestia nodded kindly at Percy and then at the siblings, then vanished in a small flash of flames.

Percy took off into the sky and landed at the door of the Poseidon cabin. He retracted his wings walked in, and tossed his duffel bags on the ground before laying down in his bed. He pulled off his shirt and slipped into a pair of long black pants for bed. A few minutes later, Patrick walked in and collapsed onto his bed. He was covered in bruises and cuts, even after consuming as much nectar and ambrosia as he was able to.

"You look good," Percy said dryly. "What happened?"

"Ha ha ha; very funny." Patrick said sarcastically. "The plan was for me to distract the hunters while Annabeth grabbed the flag. I definitely distracted them. They had a good time beating the crap out of me for a while before they realized that their flag was gone. At that point, they got even more violent. Luckily, when the game ended, Chiron rescued me and took me to the infirmary. Even after as much ambrosia and nectar as I could handle, I'm still not completely healed.

"Doesn't water heal you? Have you tried that?"

"Oh, of course! I'm such an idiot. It's too late now, though; the harpies will eat me if I try to get to the water." Patrick said dejectedly.

Percy laughed. "Sucks to suck, man. Next time, make Annabeth be the bait."

Patrick laughed but shook his head. "I wouldn't do that to her. Besides, the main reason the hunters were so eager to beat me up was because I'm a boy." Percy narrowed his eyes at Patrick. He picked up on the warmth in Patrick's voice when he talked about Annabeth, so he decided to have a little fun.

"That's true; besides, Annabeth is _way_ too cute to beat up. Do you think she would say yes if I asked her out?" Patrick tensed and glared at Percy before he saw the smirk on his face. His face relaxed and Percy burst into laughter. "I _knew_ it! I could tell by the way you talked about her that you like her." Patrick glared at him some more, but Percy just grinned. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, but if it's obvious enough that _I _could pick up on it, I'm guessing it's not much of a secret."

Patrick desperately wanted to change the subject, so he decided to bring up their conversation from earlier. "You said you'd tell me more about your life tonight. Care to explain?" Percy nodded.

"I'll tell you, but you have to swear on the River Styx not to tell anyone what I tell you now until I give you my permission."

"I swear on the Styx." Patrick said firmly, wondering what was so important that he had to swear on the Styx not to reveal it.

"Good. I already told you about my mother and how she met my father. Now, I'll tell you about my life. My father is Hades' lieutenant, and my mother is Poseidon's daughter. She brought the two brothers closer together than they had ever been. My parents wanted a child for years, but they weren't able to have one. Finally, my parents convinced Hades to ask Hera to bless them so that they could have a child. She did, saying she would only do it once, and I was born nine months later. I grew up in my father's palace in the Underworld, but I was rarely there. I was trained by dead heroes, including your much older half-brother Theseus and your namesake Patroclus. Of course, since Patroclus was involved, Achilles was too; those two are as inseparable in death as they were in life. A few days ago, Hades told me to go help the campers rescue his children." Patrick's eyes widened and he was about to speak, but Percy raised his hand to stop him. "He told me to come here with them since Kronos is rising and you will need all the help you can get to beat him, even the help of children of the Underworld. Hades was waiting to claim them until I got here and talked to them about it first. I'm guessing they'll be claimed tomorrow."

"That's an… interesting story. Mine's a lot simpler. I grew up in New York City with my mom and my step-dad. She was just married to him to hide my demigod scent since he smelled so disgustingly human, but he's out of the picture now. I got kicked out of a bunch of schools over the years and eventually came here, where my ADHD and dyslexia actually help me out most of the time. Two years ago, Annabeth and I went with a satyr to the Underworld to try to get Hades to give us back Zeus' lightning bolt. Turned out he didn't even have it, but it turns out it was just Kronos using Ares and another demigod to get the weapons to him. We got the bolt back to Zeus and Hades' helm back to him, so everything turned out well enough. Last summer, Annabeth and I went to the Sea of Monsters to get the golden fleece and bring it back here to heal Thalia's tree. I guess I should probably explain how Thalia became a tree…"

Percy laughed and shook his head. "I heard Thalia's story from Hades. I know what happened to her. I have stayed well-informed of what's been happening up here. Now let's go to sleep; waking up in the morning is hard enough as it is."


	8. Chapter 8: The Prophecy

AN: Hey guys, I think I'll just clear a few things up. I just got a great review. In it, the person said what they think of the story, what they like, what they don't like, and what they don't know. That is exactly the kind of review I love getting! First, I'll give a brief moment to Patroclus. If you don't know who Patroclus was, he and Achilles were raised together by Chiron and were extremely close. They fought together in the Trojan War and they both died. In this story, the two of them helped train Percy when he was growing up since they were both great warriors. Second, about Percy being overpowered; I agree that Percy is overpowered in this story. However, he is a bit overpowered because he is 75% god and only 25% human. I've always loved the idea of Percy having wings, but I also gave him water powers because they're part of what makes Percy so cool and being related to Poseidon would give him his signature black hair and green eyes.

Chapter 8: The prophecy

When Percy and Patrick walked into the dining pavilion the next morning, they were struck by the change in demeanor of the hunters. They all looked worried and some even looked like they had been crying. Zoe was sitting at the head of the table with a grim expression on her face. Percy was sure their distress wasn't caused by their loss at capture the flag the night before so he glanced at Zoe questioningly. She shook her head almost imperceptibly and Percy got the message loud and clear: _drop it_. He nodded slightly and turned back to his breakfast. He looked at Chiron, but he just stared at his food as he ate. Everyone else was still celebrating from their victory the night before, so they were all in good spirits.

When everyone was done, Chiron stomped his hoof on the marble floor to get everyone's attention. "There will be a meeting of cabin counselors in the rec room in five minutes. Percy, please be there too; Patrick will take you there. Everyone else will begin their daily activities. That is all." He glanced at Zoe for a moment before he galloped off to the Big House.

Five minutes later, the cabin counselors and Zoe were gathered in the Rec Room. Chiron looked at Zoe and nodded his head for her to speak. She cleared her throat. "Last night, I had a dream. Lady Artemis has been captured; I'm not sure by whom, or why but if she is missing from the winter solstice meeting, the gods will lose another year of preparation for the fight against Kronos. She has been the biggest supporter of taking action against him, and without her, the gods will accomplish nothing at the meeting. I propose that I get a prophecy from the Oracle and lead a quest to find her."

Pandemonium broke out in the room as everyone shouted out questions. Chiron stomped his hoof, but no one listened. Suddenly, the light in the rooms dimmed and the shadows seemed to darken. Percy's eyes flashed with gold for a few moments as he held the shadows in place, before they flickered back to green when the room went back to normal. Everyone looked at Percy warily, but Chiron nodded his head at him. "Thank you, Percy. Now, none of us know what happened to Lady Artemis, but I think that since Zoe had the dream, the quest is hers to lead. Go to the attic and speak to the Oracle, Zoe."

Zoe stood up and walked slowly up the stairs. A few minutes passed in tense silence before she came back down the stairs. Everyone was shocked by her appearance; her eyes were bloodshot and she was shaking slightly. Everyone avoided her steely gaze as she sat back down. "What did the Oracle say, Zoe?" Chiron asked gently.

Zoe stared at the table and spoke in a voice thick with emotion:

_Five shall go west to the mount of despair_

_ The child of Zeus shall have faults laid bare._

_ The daughter of Atlas shall feel the pain_

_ Of the titan's curse turned godly chains._

_ She must pay the price for the life that was saved_

_ The oaths she has taken shall the moon goddess waive. _

_ If with the hunters she chooses to stay_

_ The terrors of darkness shall make them their prey._

No one spoke for a few moments before she looked up, tears glistening in her eyes. Percy looked at her sadly and his heat broke at the sorrow in her eyes. "I will go but I will not take any of my sisters with me." When everyone except Percy was about to ask her why, her eyes flashed with anger. "My reasons are my own… and anyone else intelligent enough to figure out why. I will take the daughter of Zeus because the prophecy makes it clear she will go." She looked at Percy. "Will you go?" she asked, and he nodded his head. "I need three others."

"I'll go." Annabeth said, and Zoe nodded. Thalia looked at Annabeth thankfully. The second line of the prophecy had scared her, and she was glad to have her best friend along. Patrick glanced from Zoe to Annabeth and then to Percy. Percy caught his eye and answered his unspoken question with a slight nod.

"I'd like to go too. I don't pretend to like the hunters, but I definitely hate Kronos a whole hell of a lot more." Patrick said firmly. Zoe glared at him for a moment before she sighed and nodded her head.

"I suppose I'll have to get used to the presence of males at some point anyway." She muttered.

"You know where to go Zoe?" Chiron asked, although the way he said it left little doubt in everyone's minds that he and Zoe both knew exactly where to go.

"Yes, Chiron. We'll take a train to Washington D.C. and then another train west. We leave in thirty minutes. Can Argus drive us to the train station?" Zoe's looked of despair had been replaced by a steely look of determination. She looked at Annabeth, Thalia, and Patrick. "Pack your bags." When they all stood up, Percy caught Zoe's eye and glanced outside. She nodded and he walked outside. He looked around, spread his wings, and flew up to the top of the Big House. He watched everyone as they left until Zoe walked out. Instead of walking back to her cabin, she ran into the woods. Percy flew after her and landed beside her, where she was crying at the base of a tall tree.

Percy knew exactly why she was crying, so he approached her carefully and sat down beside her. "I'm so sorry, Zoe. It's my fault you're in this situation."

Zoe looked at him for a moment and then slapped him as hard as she could. "I deserved that." He said sadly, but she just glared at him

"You deserved that for saying that this is your fault, not for saving my life. I'm not mad at you; you did the right thing and almost died because of it. I should've known that Nemesis would demand a price for letting you save me. I just don't know what to do after I leave the hunt."

"You could stay at camp," Percy said hopefully. "I know you can almost stand me, so it wouldn't be too bad."

Zoe sighed. "I don't know; maybe I'll die on this quest and I won't even have to make a decision."

"The last line of the prophecy is why you chose not to bring any of the hunters with you, wasn't it? You're afraid that if you bring them, monsters will go after them because of you." Zoe nodded sadly. "I'm guessing you also know what's waiting for us at the other end of this quest?"

"Something terrible; _someone _terrible. The mountain of despair is another name for Mount Othrys, but I don't know where it is in the United States, assuming it even moves with the gods the same way Olympus does. I do know, however, what the titan's curse is, and that's why I think I will die. It's my father's curse…"

"The weight of the sky." Percy finished in a whisper. "And you have to hold it. The prophecy said "titan's curse turned godly chains. Do you think that means that Artemis is under the sky?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes," Zoe gasped out with a sob. She started crying again and he wasn't sure what to do, so he awkwardly patted her back.

"We'll find Artemis and rescue her and you _won't_ die." He said, trying to comfort her.

She stood up and glared at him. "If you tell anyone about what happened here, I will disembowel you. Do you understand?" His eyes widened and he nodded hastily. She glared at him again before she ran off to her cabin to say goodbye to the hunters and pack her bags.

He shook his head and flew to the Poseidon cabin to grab his bags. When he landed, he ran inside and slung his two duffel bags over his shoulder, glad that he hadn't unpacked them the night before. Patrick walked out of the back of the cabin with a backpack on and glanced at Percy. "Do you know where we're going?" he asked.

Percy grinned. "West."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. What would I do without you?"

"You would get lost?" Percy offered, but Patrick punched him in the shoulder.

"It was a rhetorical question. Come on. I don't want that crazy huntress to castrate me for being late… or for being male…or actually for any reason at all."

"Hey, you're the one who volunteered to go on this quest in the first place. But I know it was just so you could keep an eye on _Annabeth_." Percy said with a sly smile.

Patrick shook his head in frustration, but he couldn't stop his cheeks from turning a little red. "Let's go." Percy started humming the 'kissing in a tree' song like he was a third-grader, and Patrick punched him in the arm. "If you keep this up, Kronos won't have to kill you because I'm going to do it _myself_!" Percy raised his hands in surrender and they walked past Thalia's tree and down the hill to where Argus was waiting beside a camp van. They got in the back with Thalia and Annabeth, leaving the front seat open for Zoe.

A few minutes later, Zoe got in the front seat and looked at Argus. "Penn Station; our train leaves at one." she said. Argus dropped them off at the station at 12:30, and they went inside to buy their tickets for the first step of their journey.

AN: Percy's eyes flashed gold in the rec room because he was using the powers of his father; he is not in any way under the influence of Kronos. In this story, when he uses the power of his father, his eyes flash with gold, the same colors as Thanatos' eyes. I just wanted to clear that up right away so there's no confusion. I know the ending of the chapter sucked, but I couldn't think of a non-lame way to end it without adding an unnecessary cliffhanger. Please review; I want to know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9: Spooky Scary Skeletons

AN: Sorry for the long wait and the short chapter, but I'm just applying for a new job, and I've also been having some writer's block. I think I'm doing better now, though, and all of your support has really encouraged me to write.

Someone said that since Thanatos is the son of some of the eldest Primordials, then that makes him their grandson, right? I don't actually know the timeline of what Primordials are the oldest, but yes, Percy is the grandson of Erebus, primoridial god of darkness, and Nyx, primordial goddess of night. At this point, I don't know if either of them will make an appearance in this story, or if any Primordials will for that matter. Either way, please review and tell me what you think.

**Chapter 9: Spooky Scary Skeletons**

"Thalia, if we're going to go on this quest together, we need to clear the air." Percy said hesitantly. They had been on the train for almost an hour in awkward silence. The chairs were set up with two chairs facing forward and two chairs facing backward, so the four campers sat together and Zoe sat by herself in a seat behind them, happy to be alone. After what felt like an eternity of looking at anything or anyone but Thalia, Percy finally decided to bring up the elephant in the room.

She finally looked at him and smiled slightly, but it was obviously a little forced. "I _suppose_ I shouldn't have shocked you quite so hard. I let my anger get away from me just a little." Percy figured that was as close as a daughter of Zeus would ever get to apologizing, but she had damn near killed him; he wanted a little more of an apology than that.

"Thalia, my heart _literally_ stopped. I was about to die. I think I deserve a slightly more genuine apology." He said dryly. Thalia looked embarrassed and sighed, swallowing her pride.

"I'm sorry that I almost killed you. I let my anger get out of control. I'll do my best not to let it happen again." Percy nodded and smiled grimly.

"By all means, do it again; just next time do it to a monster or a titan instead of me. Deal?"

Thalia nodded. "Deal." Annabeth and Patrick let out sighs of relief.

"Finally!" Annabeth said. "That was _super_ awkward. Not to mention that train rides get pretty boring when no one is talking. I have an idea."

"Of course you do," Patrick muttered. Annabeth ignored him and looked expectantly at Percy. He knew exactly what she was going to say, so he stopped her before she even began.

"You were going to ask me to tell you about my life, right?" Annabeth nodded. "Not happening." Annabeth and Thalia looked disappointed, so he sighed. "Not yet at least. Maybe some other time. But if you want a story to pass the time, why don't you tell me about your quest to the Underworld two years ago, or your quest last summer to get the Golden Fleece? Patrick gave me an outline of both, but if you ever want me to tell you my story, you'll have to share yours."

Annabeth shrugged her shoulders and told him about their quest when they were twelve to retrieve the master bolt. When she finished her second story, they were just arriving in Washington DC. Annabeth had switched topics, and now she was going on and on about the memorials and monuments all over the city. It was only about 3:30, and their train west didn't leave until seven o'clock, so at Annabeth's insistence, they spent almost two hours walking from memorial to memorial before they finally arrived at the Air and Space museum.

They all went inside to the snack shop to get something to eat before they left on their next train west. When they all sat down, Percy glanced at the door and briefly noticed a boy with blond hair watching them. The second Percy noticed him, however, he pulled back from the door and walked away. Percy thought for a moment and inconspicuously pulled something out of Annabeth's left pocket. He slipped it into his own pocket before he stood up. "I'm going to take a walk and stretch my legs. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He walked out of the museum and slipped Annabeth's invisibility cap out of his pocket and put it on. He spread his wings and flew up into the air, looking around until he noticed the blond boy near the door of the Museum of Natural History. He flew down until he noticed a big sign across the door that said CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT. He landed right next to the door and waited for the boy to open the doors. When he did, Percy slipped inside and followed him silently. He walked past several exhibits before he walked through a pair of double doors into a huge round room with a balcony around the second level. Mortal guards were all over the place, along with a couple of women with a pair of large snakes instead of legs: Scythian dracaenae.

The worst, however, was the enormous man that the blond boy was currently kneeling in front of. He was easily seven feet tall, with dark hair slicked back over his head and even through his business suit, Percy could tell he was unbelievably muscular, and his huge hands looked like they could tear a person in half. He looked vaguely familiar, but Percy couldn't quite place where he had seen him before. "Well, Luke?" he asked in a deep voice, but it wasn't a comforting type of deep voice; his voice was a scary type of deep: cold, and commanding. Percy wasn't scared by much, but he was afraid of this guy, whoever he was.

"General, four campers and a huntress are in the Air and Space museum: Thalia Grace, Annabeth Chase, Patrick Anderson, and a boy my spy at camp says is a son of Thanatos. The huntress is the lieutenant; her name is Zoe Ni-"

"Do not speak her name in my presence. I know very well who she is." He growled, and Luke flinched.

"Apologies, my lord. How do you plan to dispose of them?"

The General waved his hand to a guard, who walked forward with a ceramic pot in his hand. "The foolish mortals do not even know when they have dragon's teeth in their possession. Plant them in the ground." The man knelt down on the dirt of a dinosaur exhibi and reached into the pot. He pulled out several long, sharp teeth and pushed them into the dirt. "Water them." The General said shortly. Another guard walked forward with a small watering can and poured some blood onto them.

The General jumped down from the balcony, about a twenty foot drop, and the marble tiles cracked under his feet where he landed. As he walked toward the buried teeth, a dozen skeletal warriors clawed their way out of the dirt. Their skin was gray and almost transparent, and they were dressed in gray camo clothes and combat boots. The general pulled a silver scarf out of his pocket, like the ones the hunters wore, and tossed it toward them. Percy knew that if those spartus got ahold of that scarf, they would track the hunters down and kill them all.

Acting on instinct, he extended his wings and flew forward, snatching the scarf out of the air. Suddenly, he felt a sharp tug in his left wing and he spun to that side and slammed into the ground. The skeleton warriors had seen right through his invisibilty, and as he flew by, two of them had grabbed onto his wing and dug their feet into the ground, bringing him down. He forced his wings to retract, and felt a sharp pain as one of them kept its grip hard enough to tear out a feather. His cap of invisibility fell off but he grabbed it and dashed out the way he had come in. He heard the General roaring for his guards to kill him and as he looked over his shoulder, he saw the skeleton warriors sniffing the feather and passing it around, and he knew that now, _he_ was their prey.

AN: Before you say it, yes, spartus is both the plural and singular form of the word, according to the Percy Jackson Wiki, so don't say that I didn't pluralize it when I refer to multiple skeleton warriors as 'spartus.' It sounds wrong to me too, so I'll probably only refer to multiple spartus as 'skeleton warriors' and keep 'spartus' for singular. Also, I'm sorry for the title of this chapter. I couldn't help myself, especially since Halloween just passed.


	10. Chapter 10: Evasion

AN: I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter done, but I actually wrote this chapter and scrapped it, wrote it again, scrapped it, wrote it again, scrapped it, and finally wrote a chapter I was satisfied with. I'll explain why this chapter was so important at the end of the chapter. I probably would've spent more time working on this if I had had more reviews, but I wasn't getting any new ones. Your reviews are what make me choose to write when I want to play video games or watch TV, so please keep them coming.

Chapter 10: Evasion

Percy dashed out of the Museum of Natural History and out onto the National Mall. He slipped Annabeth's hat onto his head and flew as quickly as possible over to the Air and Space Museum. He kept the hat on and continued to run full speed to the snack shop and stopped at the table where Annabeth, Thalia, and Patrick were talking and laughing, and Zoe looked annoyed and bored. He pulled off the hat, and when Annabeth saw him, she put her hand in the pocket where the hat was supposed to be and her face turned red with rage. She stood up, snatched the hat out of his hands, and smacked Percy so hard that everyone in the room stared at them in shock.

She was about to start yelling at him, but he clamped a hand over her mouth and locked eyes with Zoe. "We need to go. NOW!" he said urgently. "There's someone named the General in the Museum of Natural Sciences, and they have a dozen spartus on my trail. We need to get out of here. We'll talk about your hat later, Annabeth, but for now, run!" They ran out into the museum and into a parking lot.

"We need a car," Percy said. He ran over to a couple that was just getting out of their car and looked around. There was no one watching, so he stepped right in front of them. "Sleep!" he said firmly as he snapped his fingers in their face. They immediately collapsed to the ground and Percy dug through the man's pockets to find the car keys. "Move them between some other cars. If we leave them here, the first car that tries to park in this spot will see them and call the police. Percy tossed the keys to Zoe, and she got in the driver's seat as Patrick, Annabeth, and Thalia dragged the couple a few parking spaces away.

Percy was about to get into the passenger seat when he saw a guard at the edge of the parking lot watching them. The guard reached for a walkie-talkie and Percy used his wings to launch himself at the man. Percy landed and and heard him say "-ones you were looking for. They're driving a-" right as Percy ripped the walkie-talkie out of his hand. The guard reached for his gun, but Percy punched him as hard as he could in the face, and the guard staggered back. Percy lunged forward and spun around him, grabbing his head as Patrick, Annabeth, and Thalia ran up.

Percy grimaced; he knew what had to be done, but he didn't want the campers to be around to see it. He shifted the position of his hands and wrapped the guard in a tight headlock. "What's going on, Percy?" Patrick asked.

"Go away; I'll take care of this." Percy said tightly.

"Take care of this?" Patrick repeated incredulously. "What does that mean?"

"It means that when you leave, I will ensure our safety." Percy said grimly. Patrick saw the look in Percy's eyes and his own eyes widened.

"You're going to kill him?" he asked incredulously.

"He's working with our enemies and he knows where we are and what car we're driving. I don't have a choice." Percy said coldly. The guard started crying and clawed at Percy's arms around his throat.

"Please don't kill me!" he begged piteously. "I don't want to die!"

"I wish I didn't have to do this." Percy said sadly as he shifted his hands and snapped the guard's neck in one fluid motion. Percy released the body and Patrick stared at him with disgust, while Annabeth looked like she was going to throw up. Thalia didn't seem to feel as strongly as her friends, but she still looked a little bit shocked.

"Let's go." Percy said sternly. He walked over to the car, where Zoe was still sitting calmly in the driver's seat. "Get us out of here, Zoe." He said shortly as he sat in the passenger seat. She clenched her teeth, but pulled out of the parking lot anyway. After several minutes of driving, Percy looked back and saw a black helicopter hovering over the parking lot they had left. He breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to relax for a moment. He knew perfectly well that killing the guard only threw their enemies off their tail for a short time. It wouldn't take long for them to find the couple they had stolen the car from in the first place and wake them up.

Sure enough, about two minutes later, the helicopter started flying in their direction, and their bright red car wasn't exactly hard to miss. "They know the car; we need to get off the road." Percy said. Zoe looked in the rearview mirror, saw the helicopter, and nodded. As soon as she saw a subway station from the road, she slammed on the brakes and they all jumped out of the car without even bothering to pull it over. They ran down the stairs and got on the first train that arrived. They switched trains three times over the next half-hour until they were sure that they were no longer being followed.

The bad news was that they were at the end of the subway line, and there was nothing around but an industrial park with huge warehouses and lots of train tracks. After wandering around for a few minutes, looking for a train going west, they spotted a sleek automobile-carrying train. SUN WEST LINE was written across the train cars in big golden letters.

"It is" a voice said behind them. They spun around and saw a homeless man standing behind them, but there were no footprints in the snow behind him; it was almost as if he had appeared in that spot. He noticed their looks of confusion and smiled. "It is going west; I know you were all wondering where it was going. It's going west."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Zoe asked warily. She and Percy were the only ones to notice that the man hadn't left any footprints, so they both guessed they were dealing with more than just a homeless guy.

"Just a friend," he said with a wink. "You better go; the train will be leaving any minute." With that, he vanished in a golden light, leaving no doubt in their minds that they had just been in the presence of a god.

A few minutes later, Thalia was listening to the alt-rock radio stations from a Mercedes, Patrick and Annabeth were talking in a Lamborghini, and Zoe had crashed in a Lexus. Percy walked over to her car and tapped the window. She looked annoyed to see him, but she leaned over and unlocked the passenger door. Percy got in and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in thought.

"Well? What do you want? I think you know this is the last place to try if you're looking for good company." She said.

Percy sighed and opened his eyes, but kept them fixed on the ceiling. "I killed the guard in the parking lot today. I didn't have a choice; it was the only way to throw them off our trail long enough to get away. But now Patrick, Annabeth, and Thalia think I'm some kind of monster. I don't want to be their enemy, but I refuse to endanger all of our lives because they have an aversion to killing."

"I guessed as much." Zoe sighed. "Speak to them tomorrow; perhaps they will understand your actions if you explain."

"Zoe," Percy said tentatively. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" She said defensively.

"The end of the prophecy said that you would have to leave the hunt as payment for me saving your life. You've been in the hunt for a really long time, and I was just wondering how you're dealing with that." He said softly.

A single tear trickled down Zoe's cheek, but she turned her head away from Percy and looked out the window, even though there was nothing to see. Percy had already seen her cry once, and she was determined not to look weak again, especially in front of a boy. "Goodnight, Perseus," she said tightly. Percy nodded slowly, even though she couldn't see him.

"Goodnight, Zoe" he said with a sigh, and stepped out of the car.

AN: The reason that this chapter was so important was because I was trying to decide what to do with the scene where Percy kills the guard. I almost included a fight between Percy and the three campers, but the bigger question I was facing was whether or not I wanted Percy to be friends with the people at camp, especially Patrick. There are so many stories where there's another son of Poseidon who is a huge asshole, which is why I wrote Patrick in as a good character, similar to how Percy is in the books. I decided to wait on that a little bit longer, but if I had included a violent confrontation, I would have been stuck with Patrick disliking Percy, which I'm not sure I wanted. The first two times I tried to write this chapter, I included the Nemean Lion, but I finally decided not to keep it. Tell me if you want it to appear in the story later, as well as any other monsters/characters you want/don't want and why you feel that way. I can use all the input I can get, and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.


	11. Chapter 11: Discussions and Dreams

AN: This story just hit 100 followers; thank you all so much for the support. Like always, please review! The more you review, the more I'm motivated to write.

_-Last Chapter-_

"Zoe," Percy said tentatively. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" She said defensively.

"The end of the prophecy said that you would have to leave the hunt as payment for me saving your life. You've been in the hunt for a really long time, and I was just wondering how you're dealing with that." He said softly.

A single tear trickled down Zoe's cheek, but she turned her head away from Percy and looked out the window, even though there was nothing to see. Percy had already seen her cry once, and she was determined not to look weak again, especially in front of a boy. "Goodnight, Perseus," she said tightly. Percy nodded slowly, even though she couldn't see him.

"Goodnight, Zoe" he said with a sigh, and stepped out of the car.

**Chapter 11: Discussions and Dreams **

After Percy got out of Zoe's car, he thought about finding his own car for the night, but he was feeling restless so he went out the front of the railcar and climbed the ladder onto the roof of the train. He closed his eyes and faced the cold for a few minutes, clearing his mind. He breathed out slowly and spread his wings, catching the wind and lifting him into the air. He had grown up in the Underworld, mostly alone, so spending this much time with others was strange to him. He stopped thinking and instead focused on flying. He flew as high as he dared, until he could barely see the line of light that was the train, then de dove down, spreading his wings at the last minute, pulling him up sharply. He shouted in exhilaration, and skimmed right over the train. For two hours, he circled the train, pushing his muscles as hard as he could. Finally, he was drenched in sweat, despite the frigid temperature, and he flew back down to the fourth railcar. As he landed, he saw a figure dressed in silver sitting cross-legged near the front of the roof.

He landed lightly and walked forward warily, when the figure spoke. "There is no need to sneak, Perseus; I know you're there." Percy frowned and sat next to Zoe. As he sat down, he dried all the sweat off his body and clothes and wrapped a wing in front of himself to shield himself from the wind. "What are you doing up here?" Zoe asked curiously.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, and exercise has always cleared my mind, so I've been flying. Why are you out here?"

"I have been a member of the hunt for _three thousand years_. Why do you think I can't sleep?" she said venomously. Percy was taken aback by her tone, but she did have a point; of course she was worried about Artemis.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be insensitive" he said. Zoe sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Zoe, I've been wondering: why don't you hate me?" he asked curiously. "I've heard plenty of stories about the hunters and I know that you hate men, but you're being surprisingly friendly to me. For a huntress at least."

"I will tell you why if you tell me about your life; I still don't know how you are the son of Sophia Jackson."

"Deal" Percy said. "I'll go first. When you and my mom were in the taxi on the way to the Empire State Building to visit Apollo, Thanatos appeared to her. He told her that whether she lived or died was up to her, but if she lost consciousness, she would die. That's why she stayed conscious so long, which I know surprised both you and Apollo." Zoe looked at him with narrowed eyes and he laughed. "Demigod dreams can tell you a lot." He said with a smirk. "Anyway, over the years, she developed a friendship with him, and when she was about to die, my father offered for her to be his immortal wife. She accepted, but she is just an immortal demigod, not a goddess; that's why I'm not a god. They weren't able to have any kids, until finally they convinced Hades to ask Hera to bless them so that they could have a child. She did, saying she would only do it once, and I was born nine months later. I grew up in my father's palace in the Underworld, but I was rarely there. I was trained by dead heroes including Achilles, Patroclus, and Theseus. A few days ago, Hades told me to go help the campers rescue his children from that school in Maine, and that was where I met you. That's a general outline of my life, but now onto the more pressing issue: why don't you hate me?"

Zoe sighed. "I suppose when you took my wounds for me in Maine, I realized that you were at least a little bit different. I know firsthand how painful those wounds were, and then when I thought for three days that you had died for me simply out of gratitude for what I did to help your mother, I actually wished that I had gotten to know you better, since you seemed so different. When you showed up at Camp Half-Blood, at first I was angry that I had wasted any time thinking about you, but then I was curious by your actions and parentage: your mother disappeared decades ago, and your father has never had a demigod child before. Then you defeated me in the game of capture the flag. The next morning, when I was getting a quest to rescue Artemis, I decided that I would ask you to come along both for your fighting skills and because I was still curious about you."

Percy knew that if he responded in the wrong way to what she had said, it would be very difficult to undo; he could tell that she was opening up far more than she usually would, so he picked his words carefully. "I am honored that you think I am different than other men and perhaps even worthy of your friendship."

Zoe opened her mouth to respond, but she thought for a moment and nodded slowly. "I suppose you _could_ say that we are friends now. I see nothing of the man that betrayed me in you; keep it that way." She said with a hint of a warning, but Percy just smiled.

"I don't plan on changing at all, and I think it's a good thing that you'll have a friend at Camp Half-Blood; I think you'll be spending a while there after this quest is over."

Zoe had been smiling slightly, but at Percy's last words, her eyes hardened and her jaw tightened. She turned and slapped Percy. "Do _not_ remind me. We're friends, but we are _not_ good enough friends for you to bring that up." She stood up and stormed over to the front of the railcar. Instead of climbing down the ladder, she gracefully jumped down onto the narrow platform below, disappearing from sight. Percy sighed; he had ruined another conversation with Zoe, but he was just trying to prepare her for the reality that she would probably have to spend at least some time at Camp Half-Blood after she left the hunt. He had never met Zeus, but he had heard plenty of stories from Hades and Poseidon about him, and he knew that with a second titan war looming, Zeus would not allow the daughter of one of the most powerful Titans to wander around the country freely.

After a few more minutes, he stood up and climbed down the ladder into the train. He looked into the first car he found and didn't see anyone, so he climbed into the driver's seat and fell asleep immediately.

He felt like he had just opened his eyes when he opened them again. He was in someone else's body and he was being pulled by one hand through a garden by a girl. He was wearing a Greek tunic, leather sandals, and a heavy cape was wrapped around his shoulders. "Hurry!" the girl said urgently with a familiar voice. "He will find us!"

They were running through a beautiful garden and thousands of stars and a full moon gleamed overhead, lighting up the garden with a faint silvery glow. The girl had long black hair braided down her back over long silk robes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. They stopped beside a small pool of water, and Percy got his first glance at his host. He was tall and muscular, with startlingly blue eyes like Thalia's, skin that was so tan it looked coppery, and brown hair. However, the most noticeable thing about him was the golden cape that was wrapped around his shoulders like a cape. "Why are we running? I am not afraid." He said in a deep, confident voice.

"You should be afraid. You have never faced a monster like Ladon. You must go around the mountain to my father. It is the only way," she said pleadingly, like she really cared what happened to him.

"I do not trust your father," he said.

"You shouldn't trust him," the girl agreed. "You must trick him; but you cannot take the prize yourself or you will surely perish."

"Then why do you not help me?"

"I… I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. If my sisters found out, they would disown me."

"Then I must do what I can." He said, rubbing his hands together.

"Wait!" The girl reached up to hair and pulled out a brooch with trembling fingers. "My mother, Pleione, gave this to me. It contains the power of the ocean. _My_ immortal power." She breathed gently on it and it glowed for a second. "Take it, and make of it a weapon."

She placed it into his hand and it elongated into a familiar bronze sword, but in his host's hands, it felt to Percy as if it weighed no more than a feather. He realized that his host possessed vast physical strength, and he put the pieces together: the electric blue eyes, the physical strength, and now he realized what the golden cape was. It was the skin of the Nemean Lion, which meant that his host was the only hero to ever slay the beast: Hercules.

"Well balanced, though I prefer to use my hands." His host said. "What shall I name this blade?"

"Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. "The current that takes you by surprise and sweeps you out to sea." At that moment, a gust of wind blew aside the branches of a nearby tree and the girl's face was bathed in moonlight. Now Percy knew why her voice was so familiar: the girl was Zoe. With that, the dream dissolved and he woke up suddenly, gasping for air as someone hammered on the window of his car.


End file.
